Welcome Home
by Haruka Kokoro
Summary: After many years, he takes a stand against Hiashi. Now he is no longer welcome in the Hyuuga household. ...... Twoshot, NejiTen, partially a songfic to Home by Three Days Grace. A few years after the Shippuden era.
1. Better Off Alone

Disclaimer: I don't own Neji, or Tenten, or evil Hiashi. I don't own Home by Three Days Grace, either. I just own all the words. Yup.

_I'll be coming home_

_Just to be alone_

The shroud of darkness hovered over the Hyuuga compound. It crept beneath the doorway, past the seal of the window pane. The delicate _'pat pat'_ of feet against the floor was barely audible, the shadows curling around the man's ankles like manacles. His long overcoat made it difficult to make out his build, his shadow seemed to float across the sleek wooden floors. The swish of his overcoat trailing behind him as he turned a corner, as well as the echo of the stirrings in the hallway, they were factors in an equation.

_Cause I know you're not there_

_And I know that you don't care_

_I can hardly wait to leave this place_

Abruptly, the man stops. The rustle of his overcoat against his breeches the only sound until they too settle. In front of the broad-shouldered shadow stands Hyuuga Hiashi. His imposing aura magnified by his suspicious expression. Arms crossed over his rib cage. He speaks in a serious voice, one that commands the attention of his subjects. The shadow is his subject, he is his servant. Nothing more than a whelp from one of the branches of the Hyuuga family.

_No matter how hard I try_

_You're never satisfied_

_This is not a home_

_I think I'm better off alone_

"Where have you been, Neji?" he demands an answer from the shadow, who begrudgingly responds. "Nowhere interesting." that was the truth. He had spent the latter portion of the evening sitting beneath the terrace of a charming restaurant. After an afternoon of training, mind you. He had insisted on treating his fellow team-mate and love interest, Tenten, to this particular café. As much as Hyuuga Neji might be cold hearted at times, he really is a gentleman. Hiashi stands rigid, as if the shadow's voice has triggered something within him. As he brushed past the shadow which was Neji, Hiashi leered "Trying to influence her, Neji? Even if she is your team-mate and did train under that idiot Guy, she will never fall for it.".

_You always disappear_

_Even when you're here_

_This is not my home_

_I think I'm better off alone_

Neji's gaze was rooted to the floor, until he heard his uncle's jibe. With that, his chin lifted from his collar bone as he turned to face the head of the Hyuuga clan. "What are you saying?" he spat, the venom in his voice like a snake awakened from it's slumber far too early for it's liking. Hiashi called over his shoulder, as if the matter of Neji's relationship with Tenten was a trivial detail "No one can love you, Neji. You are nothing but a bastard. The kin of the Hyuuga, yes, but nothing more than the child of the branch family. There is no way that you will ever control. Only be controlled. Do you see that pretty little brand on your forehead? You see it every morning you look in the mirror, yet you still can not see how worthless you are." blazing alabaster eyes met piercing grey eyes as the Hyuuga men exchanged the customary glare.

_By the time you come home_

_I'm already stoned_

Neji was a reasonable man, hell, he was a reasonable nin. But a midnight chat with Hiashi had never been his cup of tea. The feeling in his gut was more chaotic than usual, instead of an orderly plan in mind there was nothing more than the desire to do damage to Hiashi. To injure him like he had injured Neji. Even to land one blow would be enough, just one. Enough to dent the composure and pride of the elder Hyuuga. As the deadly silence stretched on, both Hyuuga activited their Byakugan. The swirl of the air as Neji's overcoat dropped from his shoulders to the wooden floorboards. With a graceful movement Neji was no longer standing, but in a ready position for his nearly mastered art of Gentle Fist. Just one blow, and it would be over. The rational part of Neji's mind was screaming alerts, calculating the damage that would be doled out on his body. Before he had even estimated the amount of bruises and injuries, the two met fist to fist. The weathered flesh of Hiashi's knuckles meeting Neji's in the trademark grace of the Hyuuga's brand of combat.

_You turn off the TV_

_And you scream at me_

_I can hardly wait_

_Till you get off my case_

The graceful dance was preformed in near silence, only the light drumming of fist against fist and flesh against flesh were the signs that the two Hyuuga men had had enough. No more games, no more dances around each other trying to avoid the obvious. Neji hated everything about Hiashi, and the feeling was mutual. Now that he had given the clan leader just a glimpse of that hatred, he was a threat. Feeling a jab to his shoulder, Neji could practically see his muscle go slack. Still, he held what little ground the hallway provided. Hiashi's jaw nearly fell as he felt Neji's two fingers jab a point in his thigh, which he guessed would leave him with a limp until his chakra could pass the barrier. Minutes passed, the slap of the two barefoot men's feet on the floor. Neji's expression betrayed only a touch of shock, otherwise a frown hovered over his lips as he flew across the room from a well aimed strike above his heart. Slowly lifting his able hand to his head, blinking the stars from his vision as he watched Hiashi's retreating backside swagger smugly down the hallway. The hiss trailing after him, bidding Neji a cold goodnight, said far more than that. He was no longer welcome here.

-----

So I actually had this idea that perhaps I'll continue this. Yup. For some reason I have creativity for Neji-Tenten-esque fics. Should be interesting.

Please review, I'd like some helpful critique on my typed-in-ten-minutes oneshots. :P


	2. Do You Love Me?

Author's Note: Blah. My creativity upped. I'm actually thinking of making a sequel to this with up to 15 chapters. If I can get off my lazy butt and actually write them. The song is by Metalica. Never heard it, but it seems like a good song for the setting.

_Welcome to where time stands still_

_No one leaves and no one will_

_Moon is full, never seems to change_

_Just labeled mentally deranged_

The streets were empty, normal for such an early morning. Neji's steps were sullen, weighted as if the curse branded across his high forehead above his blank eyes were holding him back. The scuff of his sandaled feet on the cobblestones seemed to shred his eardrums, a pounding headache wracked his skull. His normally smooth locks were lightly mussed, the dull chestnut tresses free from the leather tie to hang in an unruly mess down his spine. Hiashi would normally have never been able to get to Neji, he was an island unto himself. Yet tonight, things had been different. His faith in the center of his universe, Tenten, had been shaken by a simple jibe.

_Dream the same thing every night_

_I see our freedom in my sight_

_No locked doors, no windows barred_

_No things to make my brain seem scarred_

The skin over Neji's left temple had split, scarlet tears of blood trickled down his cheek to his well defined jaw. The contrast of the deep crimson and his alabaster eyes was beautiful in that morbid way. At the moment, all Neji could think of was his shattered universe. He had to find her, ask her if the vile words had been the truth. His steps became more urgent as he saw the wooden doorway of her apartment building. Trudging up the staircase, using pure instinct he found his way to her room. Through his numb stupor, he knocked on her doorway. It took several moments before he heard the sound of her stocking-covered feet padding across the floor and the rattle of the lock. The door cracked open, revealing two blinking chestnut eyes.

_Sleep my friend and you will see_

_That dream is my reality_

_They keep me locked up in this cage_

_Can't they see its why my brain says rage_

Tenten recognized Neji as soon as she opened the door, and without a moment's hesitation she ushered him in. Her hair trickled down her spine to her lower back, free from the strict buns she always twisted them into. Clad in a sleeping shirt as well as sleeping pants, Tenten could only blink before two desperate arms snatched her up and held her tightly. Resting his forehead against her shoulder, content to simply inhale her comforting aroma. She smelled of sweat after training all afternoon with him. He could vaguely pick out the smell of polish, the sort she used exsclusively for her weapons. When he felt her arms wrap around him, her fingertips running over his spine through his clothing, and the murmur of her comforting words he let it go. Everything.

_Build my fear of what's out there_

_And cannot breathe the open air_

_Whisper things into my brain_

_Assuring me that I'm insane_

Tenten listened as Neji poured his heart out to her, his babbling at times didn't make sense but that wasn't what mattered. Neji, a Hyuuga nonetheless, was pouring his heart out to her. As his girlfriend, it was expected he would share his feelings with her. But this is Neji we're talking about, you're in luck if he bids you good morning. And yet here was Tenten, listening to Hyuuga Neji tell her how frightened he had been when Hiashi had found him. The knowledge that Hiashi had hurt Neji made her tighten her grip around his shuddering body. Lifting a hand, she caressed his jaw only to pull away when she felt the warmth of his blood on her fingertips. Disentangling herself from Neji's desperate embrace. She lifted his chin with her cupped palm, planting an adoring and apologetic kiss on his chin mumbling sleepily "Let me help." with that she lead him into the kitchenette.

_They think our heads are in their hands_

_But violent use brings violent plans_

_Keep him tied, it makes him well_

_He's getting better, can't you tell? _

Neji's forehead protector had been set down on the counter, the moonlight filtering through the window pane made the metal plate engraved with Konoha's emblem glimmer. Tenten's agile fingers set to work cleaning Neji's cut as well as his other mild injuries. He stared distantly at the border of white flowers that circled around the kitchenette, as if too ashamed to look Tenten in the eye. So she began to talk, if only to convince him to speak "Stay here tonight, Neji. Stay as long as you wish, but at least for tonight. Sakura can look at your injuries tomorrow and if the needed I'm sure Tsunade will gladly tend to the worst of them. Are you listening, Neji?" he nodded, his expression portrayed a guarded look as he took in the information. She wanted him to stay in her apartment, she wanted the best to care for him. It hit a vulnerable Neji hard, the tears welling up once more "Tenten, do you love me?"

_No more can they keep us in _

_Listen, damn it, we will win _

_They see it right, they see it well _

_But they think this saves us from our hell _

Tenten stared in shock up at Neji, shifting only when she felt her knees go numb from kneeling on the tiles. She nodded as she spoke "I do, Neji. I love you very much." he stared at her as if picking her thoughts apart, reading into her expression like it was his guide to life "Are you sure?" he questioned. An almost angry expression crossed Tenten's face, her eyes glimmering in that fearsome way in the moonlight. She retorted with a huff "What do you mean 'Are you sure'? Neji Hyuuga, I've loved you since I first met you, and I won't stop loving you until Hell freezes over. You got that?" then she returned to tending his wounds, and silence returned once more for the majority of five minutes.

Then, Tenten looked suspiciously up at the Hyuuga male "This isn't some weird marriage proposal, is it?" her expression and the words put together tore a laugh from Neji's raw throat. It came out as more of a cackle than a laugh, but he still managed to look amused "Not really, no. I'm still plotting that." he observed as Tenten sighed with relief, then did a double-take at his smirking face. "You're WHAT!? You're serious...?" when Neji cringed in his chair, groaning painfully Tenten instantly recoiled and began once again to fuss over his injuries big and small. Cautiously peering at the weapon's mistress, he spoke "Would I have braved the loudest woman in all of Konoha just to pull a prank like that?" she shrugged, not really having an answer to that. Neji's bravery and stupidity were unlimited, so there really was no answer because everything differed in each situation.

Murmuring while squinting at the bandaging on his arm, she stated quietly "You do that, the plotting thing. We'll wait, maybe when the time is right. But now is not the time." Neji stared down at the considerate konoichi, the one he had lost his heart to, the one that inhabited his thoughts night and day. Reaching out, he lifted her chin so that she had no choice but to look into the wide expanses of his pearly eyes. Meshing his lips against hers in an appreciative and adoring kiss.

---

Meh, should I continue? Should Hiashi get pwned and Tenten get that proposal? xD we'll see.


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